L'Erta di Radda Chianti Classico

Let me start by saying this as plainly as I can: this is one of the greatest expressions of young Sangiovese I’ve tasted in my career. Erase the word “Chianti” and “Classico” from your mind—this wine shouldn’t even be compared to the stereotype. This is world-class, highly perfumed, deeply characterful Sangiovese from the beating heart of Radda, the epicenter of the most classic, fine-boned Sangiovese on earth. Think of how Pauillac defines Bordeaux or how Gevrey-Chambertin defines Burgundy—that same gravitational pull of greatness exists here at a very modest price point. I knew something was up the second I put my nose in the glass: wild cherry, rose petals, lavender, crushed stone, damp earth… a perfume so pitch-perfect it made me pause. I looked up with a clear look of pleasure on my face, and my friend who imports the wine simply shrugged and said, “Yeah, I know—it’s literally next to Montevertine.” One of the greatest producers of Sangiovese in all of Italy, Montevertine sits just 2,000 feet away, the vineyards nearly contiguous in the hills—maybe a ten-minute walk through the vines from one winery to the other. For reference, Montevertine is painfully allocated and often needs a decade to show its hand, but this wine is already breathtakingly expressive and begging to be consumed now. Enjoy it with anything Italian you can pair it with over the next few years—it is firing on all cylinders at the moment. If you love Italian reds, this should not be missed.

Tuscany is the spiritual homeland of Sangiovese, and its personalities change dramatically as you move across the region’s hills and coasts. To the south, the windswept Maremma produces richer, more sun-drenched styles, while the Bolgheri coast, backed by its legendary cypresses, is home to the so-called Super Tuscans—a blend of Bordeaux influence and Tuscan soul, giving more plush, international expressions. Then you move inland, and the story becomes more ancient and nuanced. Follow the spine of the Tuscan hills south toward Montalcino and you reach Brunello di Montalcino, the most muscular, structured, and age-worthy expression of Sangiovese. Brunello is built on warmth, darker fruit, broad tannins, and long maturation—Sangiovese at its most powerful and authoritative. It’s the king in full regalia. Travel north, however, to the historical Chianti Classico zone—the original heart between Florence and Siena—and Sangiovese becomes more articulate, finer in grain, and more lifted. Here you have villages like Radda, Castellina, Gaiole, Lamole, and Panzano, perched high in forests where cool nights and rocky soils create a style defined by red fruit, finesse, and a mineral-driven line. Outside the Classico zone lie the more recent Chianti subzones—Colli Senesi, Colli Fiorentini, Rufina, Aretini, and others—each producing solid wines but rarely touching the tension, altitude, and aromatic depth that Radda achieves at its peak. If Brunello is the king of power, Radda is the monk-poet of purity—quiet, profound, and thought-provoking.

L’Erta di Radda is the life’s work of Diego Finocchi, a one-man estate founded in 2006 from vineyards originally planted in 1967. Erta means “steep slope,” and that’s exactly what defines these high-altitude parcels—organic, terraced, forest-ringed vineyards between 1,050 and 1,200 feet, rooted in the classic Radda mix of galestro and alberese. These two soils are the secret code of great Chianti Classico: galestro, the region’s flaky, friable shale, breaks apart in your hands and forces the vines to root deep, giving wines lifted aromatics, red-fruit clarity, and unmistakable mineral tension; while alberese, a hard, limestone-rich marl, provides the structural backbone—fine tannin, tension, and the chiseled definition that makes Radda Sangiovese feel so precise and vertical. Diego farms these slopes entirely by hand—there is no other option on inclines like these—and ferments with indigenous yeasts, long macerations, and minimal intervention. The Chianti Classico then rests for roughly 24 months in large 2,000-liter neutral botti, allowing the purity of fruit and stony tension to shine through without makeup or oak gloss. This is micro-production in every sense: a tiny cellar, a set of humble concrete fermenters, and a farmer-philosopher doing everything himself. The result is Sangiovese with clarity, altitude, and honesty—the kind that makes you understand why Radda has become the quiet obsession of sommeliers worldwide.

The 2022 opens with soaring aromatics—wildflowers, rose petals, cherry skin, dried violets, fennel pollen, orange peel, turned earth, and cold stone. The palate is taut, lifted, and ultra-fine, yet has delicate red fruit connecting the dots: red currant, cherry skin, red plum, iron, and a savory, mineral influence. The tannins are perfectly ripe yet tense, giving the wine a Montevertine-like architecture without the extra seven years needed to become your best friend. Serve at 60–65°F after a 15-minute decant, ideally in a Bordeaux stem to let the perfume expand. Pair this with traditional foods from the Radda hills: pappardelle al cinghiale, ribollita, rosemary-and-garlic roasted chicken, bistecca sliced thin with olive oil, or simply pecorino stagionato with local honey. This is drinking-window perfection right now—and truly one of the most compelling Sangiovese values of the year.